


Scorched Earth

by the_many_splendored



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Addict Music Video is Canon, Alastor Is NOT Omnipotent, Husk and Angel Getting Together, Husk is Also A Rape Survivor, Irresponsible Journalism, M/M, Panic Attacks, Protecting Our Favorite Spider Demon, Rape Aftermath, Valentino Is A Monster, canon typical language, revenge porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:16:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25412266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_many_splendored/pseuds/the_many_splendored
Summary: After Valentino leaks a video of him sexually assaulting Angel, the gang at the Hotel want to fix things for their spider friend – if that’s even possible.
Relationships: Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust/Valentino (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 427





	Scorched Earth

**Author's Note:**

> "Addict" verified what a lot of us suspected - that not only is the relationship between Angel and Valentino unhealthy, it's fully abusive, including instances of sexual assault. In the comments of the video, someone made the point that Charlie and Vaggie must not know how bad things are, or they would cut Angel some more slack. I figured there were only two ways they would learn what happened - either Angel tells them, or Valentino leaks it. This fic imagines the second scenario.
> 
> Another theory I saw going around is that the smoke we see Valentino using seems to have a hypnotic/controlling effect, and I imagined that he could use it in battle as well.

The Leak

In the evenings after dinner, Vaggie and Charlie, and whoever wants to join them, like to sit in the big parlor where the TV is and watch the nightly news. This particular evening, Cherri is visiting Angel, so she sits in with him and the girls to watch the broadcast.

The night’s bulletins are generally horseshit, but when Katie Killjoy states that she has a breaking news item that involves the hotel, everyone sits at attention. Charlie mutes the TV and asks, “Does anyone know what this is about?” The others shake their heads, and she turns the volume back on.

“-and the source has verified the authenticity of the video. You’ll figure out real soon who’s involved, folks!” Katie’s _rigor mortis_ grin is even more unnerving than usual, and as the feed switches over to whatever video is premiering, Cherri swears she hears Katie’s hollow laughter.

The screen is mostly dark, but then a light-switch is flipped. A figure that looks like Angel is bent over a chair, and it’s clear that the taller figure behind him is fucking him hard. Any possible titillation that might come from the scene is quickly erased when the video switches perspective, and Angel’s tear-stained face fills the frame. In the low light, Cherri can just make out the other person’s face, and she hisses, “That FUCKER!”

“Is…is that Valentino?” Vaggie asks, as if she doesn’t want to believe what she’s seeing.

“It is!” Cherri says, and she looks over to see that Charlie is staring at the TV in shock. “Dammit, Charlie, turn that off!” The Princess of Hell snaps out of her stupor and clicks the television off before the anchors can make some inane commentary about the crime they just witnessed. Cherri has already hopped off the couch and taken Angel’s face in her hands. “Angel, look at me!”

The spider demon is in the throes of a particularly frightening panic attack. His two top hands are twisted in his hair, and his middle pair are reaching for anything he can use to ground himself. He opts to brace himself against the couch, but he’s shaking so badly that the whole apparatus starts to scratch the floor. His eyes are rolling in every direction as if he’s trying to find an escape.

When Angel is finally able to catch his breath, Charlie brings over a glass of water, and he takes it and drinks it greedily. Cherri’s back on the couch holding one of his hands, and even for how much they tend to fight, Angel accepts Vaggie’s hand on his shoulder.

They all sit in silence for a moment, and it’s Vaggie who breaks the quiet first. “Cherri, did you know about this?”

Cherri groans in frustration. “Yeah, but **_fuck me_** , I didn’t think there was video! If it was that whore Velvet who leaked this, I’m gonna tear her apart.”

“It was Valentino,” Angel says in a defeated voice, and Cherri’s face switches from feral to sad as she squeezes his hand again. “He was texting me all this bullshit the last couple days, saying I had no business at the hotel, who did I think I was, all that kinda stuff – and then right before I blocked his number, he got one last text through - said he was gonna make me sorry. I guess this is what he meant.”

Charlie speaks up. “Angel, just so we’re aware – when did this happen?”

Angel shrugs. “I couldn’t even tell ya, Charlie. Val had me bent over every surface in the porn studio multiple times, whether I wanted it or not.”

“Then…is there anything you want us to do? Someone else we should call? Do you…” Charlie’s fingers twist together as she’s thinking. “Do you want us to tell the others?”

Angel considers the question for a second. “Al, Niffty and Husk? Them, I don’t mind.”

Vaggie goes to the door and pokes her head out into the hallway. Seeing the other three hanging out at the concierge desk, she calls out in a firm voice, “Alastor, Husk, Niffty, we need you in here.”

* * *

The Feast

As part of the meeting to catch the others up, Angel had insisted that no one treat him like he’s more fragile than usual – so when Niffty shows up at his door the next morning with an elaborate breakfast tray, even though he normally likes just having toast and hot coffee, he has to ask, “Niff, what part of ‘I don’t want special treatment’ didn’t get into that little pink head a’ yours?”

“I haven’t seen a problem yet that food can’t help, and you need your strength,” Niffty retorts. She holds the tray in front of herself and points to the items as she says, “We’ve got eggs, your usual toast, some hell-turkey and hot tea. I would have made bacon, but that would just be rude to do in front of Fat Nuggets, doncha think?”

Angel looks down at the plate, and he allows himself a small smile. “It _is_ a nice-lookin’ spread, I’ll give ya that.” Taking the tray, he asks, “Do ya…wanna come in? I’ll clean off my dresser so ya can sit.” Niffty nods and grins wide. She stays long enough to make sure Angel finishes his food, but she’s polite enough to not bring up what she found out yesterday.

* * *

The Talk

Angel’s taken on more duties as the Hotel has grown, and after a day of leading seminars and manning the bar with Husk, he’s more than happy to pick a chair in the main hall and lounge for a while. When Husk brings over one of the cheaper bottles for the two of them to split, that just means the afternoon is looking even better.

Husk chooses the chair next to Angel’s, and if the spider wanted to, he could reach out and take the cat’s paw with one of his free hands. He’s pondering how nice that would be when Husk says without any preamble, “It happened to me too, ya know.”

“Huh?”

“That thing that you told us about yesterday - it happened to me too.”

Angel looks around, and after verifying the two of them are alone, turns his chair so that he can look at Husk more directly. “No bullshit?”

“No bullshit – just don’t think there was any video or photos of it happenin’. When I was in ‘Nam, someone came after me; I’ll spare ya the gory details.” Husk takes a big swig from the whiskey bottle and then passes it to Angel, who wipes the mouth of the bottle with the edge of his sleeve before taking a sip himself.

“I mean…you can talk about it if you wanna,” Angel offers. “Not like much can shock me these days.” Husk shoots him a skeptical look. “Seriously," Angel says. "I’m willin’ to listen.”

“Ok, if you’re sure.” After a reassuring nod from Angel, Husk sighs. “So bein’ in the Army, I couldn’t come out as pan, right, but most guys in my unit had a vague idea about it and didn’t give me any trouble. _THIS_ fucker, though….”

Angel winces in sympathy. “Lemme guess – thought you were an easy lay and he wouldn’t take no for an answer?”

Husk shrugs. “I mean, that makes as much sense as anythin’ else. I didn’t exactly psychoanalyze the guy. All I know is after he...well, after that, I didn’t think I had anywhere to turn.”

It’s quiet for a short moment, and Angel asks, “Did you wanna kill him?”

Husk waves to get the bottle back. Once he’s got the familiar weight of it in his hands, he says, “I really fuckin’ did – he was so goddamn cocky about it, like I was just a belt notch – and I’m pretty sure I was. There were other guys in the unit who started getting skittish around him in the next few months.”

“What happened in the end?”

“He got cut down by enemy fire before I could sneak into his tent and shoot him myself. Honestly, I’m surprised I never ran into him down here. But then again - ” Husk takes another big swig. “If I’m right that he got other guys in our crew, it’s not like he’d recognize me anyway.”

“Husk?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for tellin’ me.” When Angel takes Husk’s hand, he doesn’t pull away. Husk ends up crashing in Angel’s room for that night…and all the nights after.

* * *

The Plan

It’s Alastor who hears the noises first. He, Charlie and Vaggie are having the morning business meeting when his ears prick up and he pivots his head to the door. When Charlie asks him what’s wrong, he says, “We have company. Will one of you go make sure Angel and Husk don’t come out of their room?”

Vaggie picks up on the danger in Al’s voice, and she’s out the door before Charlie can even ask why the new couple might need protection. Alastor offers Charlie his elbow in the classic fashion, and as they walk to the door, he says, “The souls outside don’t sound friendly, and I heard them mention Angel’s name. We need to present a united front. Understood?” Charlie nods, and she walks a little closer at his side. As they cross the hall to the main door, the crowd outside gets louder, and now Charlie can hear the vile things that are being said.

_**“Hey, where’s that slut Angel!? The news said he’s offering services again!”** _

_**“What kinda brothel you runnin’ here?”** _

_**“If Angel’s not free, what about someone else, yeah?”** _

When Alastor throws the door open, he and Charlie see a crowd of at least 15 demons outside, and the expressions on their faces can only be described as hungry. Their comments become even more vulgar when they see Charlie, but then Alastor’s voice booms out over their heads.

“If any of you are here on legitimate business, we’ll be happy to speak with you. However, if this is related to the broadcast of four days ago, I’m giving you the chance to leave now before the owner and I have to use force.” The air around Alastor is starting to warp and shift, and Charlie takes this as her cue to turn fully demonic herself.

Most of the crowd disperses quickly, but the two stragglers who try to put on a brave face are both treated to a boot to the head – one from Alastor, one from Charlie. They stumble away, and the Radio Demon and the Princess of Hell don’t return to their default forms until the rabble are long out of sight.

\--

It turns out that Angel and Husk saw this whole exchange from their window, and when everyone comes back to check on them, Angel asks, only half-jokingly, “Why can’t we do that for Valentino, huh?”

Alastor offers what little comfort he can muster. “Please believe me, Angel – if I could have taken down that heart-eyed idiot when I first came to Hell, I would have. Whatever that magic is that he uses is beyond my abilities to fight. Speaking from former experience, if I were to get hit with it, I would be out of commission for a week.”

Angel runs a hand through his hair. “Damn. I was hoping you were gonna say that you would crush him into a million pieces and let me watch.”

“Then what’s stopping him from smoke-bombing the place?” Vaggie asks. “If we all got hit with red-venom, well...” She doesn’t need to finish the sentence; a collective shudder goes around the room.

Charlie bounds up to her feet. “WAIT A MINUTE!” She runs to her and Vaggie’s room. When she returns, she holds out a small mechanical bracelet. “Alastor, when you said you’d have taken Valentino down when you could, it reminded me of something my dad said a long time ago.” Imitating his voice, she said “I can’t stop that guy, kiddo, but you won’t have to deal with him being sleazy to you.”

She points to the light flashing on the device. “If I understood him right, there’s a certain frequency that only Valentino can hear, and it’s high enough to give him a headache. He couldn’t get within a mile of this thing – his head would explode.” She takes Angel’s hand and puts it on his wrist. “Angel, if something happens to the Hotel, we can rebuild, but you’re my friend and you’re irreplaceable. If you have this on, Valentino would never be able to touch you again.”

Angel is quiet, and Husk squeezes his shoulder. “Ange,” he says, “It’s not a bad idea, especially if you could wear it outside of the property.”

Angel’s face crumples, and he bursts into tears. Charlie panics and tries to take the bracelet back: “I’m so sorry, was this too much? Did I overstep?” – but then Angel pulls her into a hug.

“It’s great, princess – it’s really great.” _Husk is right_ , he thinks to himself. _I may want Val dead, but not him not being able to get near me would be a damn good start._


End file.
